Auditing services

Tender description

Transport Scotland has a requirement for suitably qualified and experienced consultants capable of providing independent auditing services relating to management systems on works and services contracts of varying size and complexity. These services will support the procurement, development, construction, commissioning, operational and delivery stages of trunk road projects across Scotland. Transport Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Ministers wish to progress a procurement competition to provide Scottish Ministers with confidence that Contractors and consultants are operating compliant management systems on our projects, and to support continuous improvements. It is anticipated that these services will be predominantly in relation to Scotland’s trunk road network, but could extend to the railways and other parts of the transport system. Further information on Transport Scotland can be accessed through our website at: www.transport.gov.scot Transport Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Ministers wish to progress a procurement competition for the services of a suitably experienced audit organisation to provide the following services: (a) provide suitably experienced and qualified personnel to support the employer and provide services in relation to the audit of the management systems of contractors and consultants for works and services contracts; (b) propose an audit schedule and a reporting schedule which will deliver comprehensive auditing of Contractor’s and consultant’s management systems; (c) undertake focused audits on particular sections management systems on a 3-monthly basis for Contractors and a six-monthly basis for consultants; (d) attend the offices, construction sites or other locations within the UK at which the contractor’s and consultant’s management systems are in use in order to undertake the audits; (e) auditing of the following management systems: (i) BS EN ISO 9001:2008 (quality management systems); (ii) BS EN ISO 14001:2004 (environmental management systems); (iii) OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety management systems); (iv) the particular requirements of the contract under which the contractor or consultant is appointed; (f) undertake audits of fair work practices and/or ethical practice processes and policy implementation to monitor compliance with particular commitments to community benefits or sustainable practices outlined in the contract under which the contractor or consultant is appointed; (g) undertake on-going monitoring of any non-conformances identified by the audit process, and audit corrective actions implemented by contractors and consultants to rectify such non-conformances; (h) provide reporting of audit activities to Transport Scotland; (i) provide audits on projects ranging in value up to approximately 3 000 000 000 GBP; (j) attend meetings at Transport Scotland’s main office in Buchanan House, Glasgow or site offices as and when may be required; and (k) undertake other miscellaneous/ad-hoc related activities such as: running/facilitating quality or management systems workshops, seminars, etc. Auditing of Contractors or consultants will also include the auditing of companies or organisations that have been appointed by the Contractor or consultant who are operating under the contractor’s or consultant’s management systems, whether directly or indirectly. The auditing organisation/key personnel may also be required to attend offices, construction sites or other locations within the UK at which the contractor’s and consultant’s management systems are in operation. The auditing organisation shall be required to regularly report on the performance of the services which shall include the following: (i) monthly briefing notes; (ii) audit reports; (iii) quarterly reports; (iv) annual reports; (v) financial estimates; (vi) inception reports; (vii) status reports; (viii) Any other ad-hoc reports on relevant topics relating to the performance of the services. The Framework participant will be procured through a competitive tender procedure, in accordance with the restricted procedure as provided for in the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. The Framework Agreement will be for a period of 4 years. Contracts called off the framework will be of varying length depending on individual project requirements. This contract will not be divided into lots as this would make the service unreasonably complex to administer in that manner given the anticipated forward workload since services will be of a repetitive nature. To be considered for this contract, economic operators are required to complete the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) in accordance with this Contract Notice. Economic operators shall be evaluated in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, on the basis of information they have provided within the ESPD. The ESPD can be downloaded via the Public Contracts Scotland portal (www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk)